Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban said he wouldn’t have traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers without receiving much more in return.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has come under heavy criticism after sending Doncic to the Lakers in a shocking three-team deal on Feb. 1 that sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick to Dallas.
“If the Mavs are going to trade Luka, that’s one thing,” Cuban told WFAA TV in Dallas. “Just get a better deal. No disrespect to Anthony Davis, but I still firmly believe if we had gotten four unprotected No. 1s and Anthony Davis and Max Christie, this would be a different conversation.”
The Lakers have put themselves in position to be title contenders and the Mavericks are in danger of missing the playoffs after Davis and then Kyrie Irving were injured.
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Cuban, a minority owner in the Mavericks, declined to say whether he would have traded Doncic at all, but acknowledged he was in a similar situation in 2004 when he let point guard Steve Nash walk in free agency. Nash signed a five-year, $65 million contract with the Suns and then was named NBA MVP each of his first two seasons in Phoenix.
“The good news is that we went to the Finals and won a championship,” Cuban said. “But there wasn’t social media back then, so it wasn’t quite the same. You’re going to make mistakes. I think the biggest challenge the Mavs have right now is there’s nobody who’s really outgoing to communicate.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic
Los Angeles Lakers
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